


Drift

by orphan_account



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-07-14 03:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7150418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Canary Pacific Rim Au</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own LoT or Pacific Rim. If you aren't familiar with the movie, this may not make sense. If you aren't familiar with the movie, fix that cause it's awesome.

The worst part about that day was the weather. It had been a beautiful spring day. The type that demanded picnics and flowy dresses and barefeet. It was a perfect day. It didn’t matter that the whole of humanity was at war, The Queen’s Gambit was on call for any Kaiju attacks in their area, so sisters Sara and Laurel Lance had a day to themselves. They were planning on sleeping in, being a little lazy, before their training started in the afternoon. It was supposed to be a small rare moment of happiness in the hell they lived in.

 

But it hadn’t happened that way. 

 

The women were awoken by the Kaiju alarm in their room going off. Laurel woke first, shouting at her sister over the flashing lights and high pitched whine of the alarm. Sara stumbled out of bed, grabbing the suit her sister threw at her. 

 

“I thought Ollie and his father were on Kaiju patrol?” Sara shouted at her older sister as they ran towards the flight deck.

 

Laurel said nothing, pulling on her own suit. 

 

“Laurel!” Sara persisted, “If we are being called then Ollie might be-”

 

“Stop.” Laurel didn’t yell, but her voice was shaky. She turned to her sister, her eyes wet with unshed tears. “The Drift won’t work if I’m thinking about Ollie. Let’s get to The Canary and get this over with.”

 

Sara nodded, looking properly apologetic, before following her sister. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Canary was a thing of beauty. Painted in black and silver, she was the slimmest of all the American Jagers. Her “wings”, the four large metal blades that extended from her back, could be used for not only attack, but defensive maneuvers as well. She had a retractable blades strategically placed around her body and could emit sound waves that could wreck buildings. It was used to render a lower level Kaiju unconscious and could disorient the higher leveled ones enough for them to finish the job. 

 

(One of the Jager maintenance interns, Cisco Ramon, called it the Canary Cry. Ever since then he had become the go to man for naming all the new toys and tricks added to Jagers.)

 

Sara and Laurel were anchored into The Canary’s head, their Drift successful, and were being dropped into the Atlantic. Sara tried to ignore the fact they could see the scattered scraps of the Queen’s Gambit floating in the water around them. Both of their minds needed to be completely clear for the Drift to work. 

 

They landed in the ocean, attack ready, when the Kaiju noticed them. The monster had dark green skin, with six arms lining it’s side. The Canary was barely half it’s size. It roared at them, revealing four rows of teeth. 

 

The sisters got ready, moving in perfect sync inside their Jager, running toward the monster. It saw their challenge and started barreling towards them. They attacked. It countered. 

 

The fight became a flurry of steel and claws. The Kaiju was a higher level then the sisters were used to, but it didn’t matter. Sara was confident. She could feel Laurel’s confidence through the mind meld. They would win. They always won. The Canary’s wings folded in front of them, shielding them from the flurry of talons. The Kaiju was attacking them with all of it’s arms, eighteen sharp claws attempting to rip through their defense. 

 

Then: Hell. 

 

A second Kaiju jumped on them from behind, ripping out the back of The Canary , exploding the sisters to the creature, sea, and leaving them fully unprotected. 

 

Sara felt frozen with fear. Not just fear. It was pure terror. They were going to lose. They were going to die. This how they got Ollie. They killed him, probably pulled him out of the back of the Gambit, made his father watch, then killed Robert too, she loved him and they took that-

 

Wait. 

 

She didn’t love him. Laurel did. Sara looked to her sister. Laurel *was* frozen in place, tears running down her face. Her thoughts and fears had slipped into the drift, slipped into Sara. It broke them, broke their concentration, their focus. 

 

“Laurel!” Sara shouted. Tears fell down her face as well, the intensity of Laurel’s fear and loss taking a physical toll on her. “We can do this, we can win. Just focus, mourn later, Laurel, please!” She begged. 

 

Laurel turned to her sister. She opened her mouth, her eyes expressing regret. 

 

That was the last thing her eyes would ever say. 

 

Sara felt the Kaiju’s claws stab her sister before she saw it. Both of them screamed out in pain. Sara looked to her sister, gasping out a sob when she saw the end of a black talon piercing her sister's stomach. 

 

She feel Laurel fading through their Drift. She could feel the pain in her stomach, feel her breathing slow, feel her sister’s heart slowly stop beating. 

 

Laurel was dying and Sara was experiencing every moment of it with her. Laurel locked eyes with her sister. She used her final breath for one word before there was nothing left. 

 

She was gone. Sara was still connected. 

 

Laurel’s body was ripped from the Canary. The Kaiju that had stabbed her retreated back into the ocean, Laurel still stabbed onto it’s claw. The other one had also retreated. 

 

Sara was alone. Base would know that Laurel had died by now. They would assume Sara had too and wouldn’t risk sending a team out for her. She was going to die here. 

 

But Laurel didn’t want that. She had used her final breath to be the perfect older sister, as she always had been. Loving, protective, and encouraging. She had used her final breath for hope. 

 

Sara took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. A single person piloting a Jager was impossible, only done once, and nearly ending in the death of the pilot. 

 

It was worth the risk. Even if she died before she made it anyone, she tried. She would have done everything to honor Laurel’s final wish, and really, that’s all anyone would expect. 

 

Instead of clearing her mind like they are taught in order to pilot a Jager, Sara focused on one thing. Laurel’s final word.

 

Survive. 

 

The Canary came back to life, taking a single, small step towards the shore.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara Lance needs a co-pilot.

-5 Years Later-

 

Mick Rory shifted uncomfortably in the helicopter seat. He hated flying. Ray Palmer sat next to him, legs bouncing up and down in excitement. They were on their way to the Alaska Coastal Wall to find one Sara Lance. 

 

It had been Mick’s idea to find her. The Jager Project had been shut down by what remained of the government when they had started loosing. All their funding and equipment had been taken away. 

 

Enter Raymond Palmer, an idiot with too much money and more tech than he knew what to do with. He had made his case, and the Jager project was up and running as a private company, rather than the army it used to be.

 

“We’re here!” The Billionaire exclaimed, clapping his hands. Mick should have stayed at the base with Snart, helping him and Cisco reconstruct the rescued Jagers. But he was now in charge of the remaining pilots, based on his experience as one, so he had been convinced to come along on a recruiting mission. 

 

The helicopter landed. A woman was waiting for them. Raymond ran up to her, wrapping her in a large hug. 

 

“I figured you’d find me when I heard about the Waverider. I am so sorry bout Rip and Jonah.” she muttered into the hug. Ray let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding before pulling away.

 

“It’s good to see you, Sara. I wish it was under better circumstances.” Ray said sincerely. 

 

“There won’t be such a thing until we win.” She replied. 

 

“We can’t without you.”

 

“I’m not sure I can be a good little soldier anymore.”

 

“Well we ain’t an army anymore, Blondie.” Mick interrupted, cutting into their little reunion.

 

“What are you then?” Sara asked.

 

“Just a bunch of idiots with really big guns who are too stupid to die.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We only have only been able to get 5 Jagers up and running, thanks to Cisco and his team. He heads the reconstruction project now.” Ray shouted over the wind. A storm had greeted them when they landed. “You’ll meet the other pilots tomorrow. They are all excited to watch you find your new co-pilot.” 

 

Sara let out a sigh. She knew going into this she would need someone, but the idea of letting someone else into her head after what happened with Laurel-

 

“You get the final vote, kid.” Mick said, before disappearing behind the helicopter. 

 

“Speaking of-Mr. Snart!” Ray waved to the man approaching them. He was clad in a long dark coat that billowed behind him as he walked towards them. He acknowledged Ray with a nod, handing all him an umbrella and offering Sara a spot under his own. She accepted, huddling toward the stranger. 

 

“Sara Lance, meet Leonard Snart. Not only has he hand picked your co-pilot candidates, he is personally overseeing the reconstruction of The Canary.” Ray explained. 

 

“I thought Cisco was in charge of the Jagers now?” Sara. There was something familiar about Leonard, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

 

“Cisco is the only engineer with the skills to work on The Scarlet Speedster. The first and only mach 5 Jager built. But Mr. Snart was handpicked by him to take care of the Canary.” Ray continued. “In all honesty, Snart is my best and brightest. He practically runs this place for me.”

 

“I do run this place for you, Raymond.” Leonard drawled. He handed a file to Sara. “That’s all the info on the potential candidates you’ll be meeting tomorrow. Where’s Mick?”

 

“He’s uh….not feeling well.”

 

“Throwing up off the side of the landing pad?” Leonard guessed. Ray nodded guiltily. “I told you. Let’s go.” He placed his hand on Sara’s arm, gesturing for her to go ahead of him. She followed Ray, who had started chatting animatedly about how he came to fund the Jager project,when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She glanced back, smirking when she saw Leonard quickly avert his gaze. 

 

Maybe being back wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

 

Two others were already in the elevator when they entered. A woman a little younger than Sara stood next to a giant glass tube. Inside it was some sort of organ, floating in an amber liquid, huge and pulsing. 

 

“It’s one of their brains. Well, a part of part of their brain. They have two you know.” The woman said. “I’m Dr. Caitlin Snow.” 

 

“I’m Sara-” Sara started, only to be interrupted by the man standing next to Caitlin. 

 

“-Lance, yes. You know your final mission was the first time two Kaiju’s have ever broken the breach? It hasn’t happened since. It’s amazing, truly.”

 

“Amazing in a terrible way, of course. We are both sorry for your loss. You and your sister are considered heroes.” Caitlin added in. 

 

“Of course, my apologies. Dr. Harrison Wells.” he said, shaking her hand. 

 

“Are you two head of the research department or something?” Sara asked.

 

“They are the research department.” said Ray. 

 

The elevator stopped. Leonard stepped off, waiting for Sara to follow. She did, then looked up at Ray expectantly. 

 

“Not my stop, I’m afraid. I’m heading to the basement with Dr. Snow and Dr. Wells. Mick will be joining you as soon as he’s..uh...feeling better. Till then, I leave you in Mr. Snart’s capable hands.” The doors shut on his smiling face. 

 

Sara turned and looked around the large open area they were in. It was a familiar setting. People ran around them, doing this and that, as they made their way through the factory like room. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted the first Jager. It was the newest one, with few battle scars and some shine still in the paint job. 

 

“The Scarlet Speedster. The first and last of the mach 5 engines, before the Jager Project was defunded.” Leonard explained, noticing her stare.

 

“The pilots are pretty young, right? I remember reading about them. Some sort of prodigies or something.”

 

“Barry Allen and Wally West. Young, smart, and a pain in my ass.”

 

“Egotistical assholes? I remember a lot of the male pilots being straight up jerks when Laurel and I first joined.” She guessed. 

 

“Just the opposite. Overly earnest dumbasses who would literally die for a stranger. They are so good and heroic, they report me to Raymond if I so much as steal someone’s toothpaste.”

 

It came back to her. A memory from over a decade ago, buried behind the war and monsters, swam to the surface. 

 

She had been sixteen. It was take your daughter work day. Her father had jokingly handcuffed to the desk, to show how impossible it was to get out of them. About an hour into the day, a few deputies had brought in a young man to cheers from the other officers. 

 

Her father had explained they had been looking for this man for a long time. He was a world class thief, notorious for stealing items that were considered impossible to steal. 

 

She had been left alone while her father went to fill out some paperwork. The glass door of his office gave her a perfect view of the crook. And what a view. 

 

He was handsome, she wasn’t going to deny that. Confidence oozed from him, the handcuffs didn’t seem to matter. She appreciated what she could see of his body for a moment before going back to his face. 

 

This time he was staring back at her. Sars remembered her breath stopping and her heart beating faster.His eyes had been so intense, like he knew everything about her. Like he could see very soul. He winked at her. 

 

She broke the gaze, forcing herself to calm down.When she looked back up he had been taken away. She remembered those eyes for months after. They had taken over her dreams. 

 

Shortly after,the first Kaiju had risen from the depths of the ocean and things like a shared look with an attractive stranger didn’t matter anymore. 

 

“Sara?” 

 

Leonard saying her name brought her back to the present. He was looking at her, his eyes holding that same intensity they had all those years ago.

 

“The Canary is this way?” She asked, looking anywhere but him. 

 

“SARA!” A blur of red came barreling towards and two thin arms wrapped around her middle. 

 

“Thea?!” Sara exclaimed, hugging the girl tightly.

 

Thea Queen, Oliver Queen’s little sister grinned at her. 

 

“I don’t have time to talk, Roy and I are being deployed but I saw you and had to say hello. We’ll talk when I get back.” She detached herself from Sara, running the opposite way toward a young man, both clad in red Jager flight gear.

“Thea Queen is a Jager pilot?” Sara asked. 

 

“She pilots The Green Arrow with Roy Harper.” Leonard pointed to the massive Jager on the other side of the floor. “Next to that one is Firestorm, piloted by Jax Jefferson and Martin Stein, then we have The Hawk,” he pointed a golden Jager, “-piloted by Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall.”

 

“Impressive.”

 

“If you say so. Some time between the first Jager and the Scarlet Speedster, the designers got into their heads that the bigger and flashier a Jager was, the more intimidating they would be. As if we could scare off the Kaiju when they saw one. They started sacrificing weapon quality and defenses for more artistic outsides. Combine that with the Kaiju getting smarter it’s no wonder we started loosing.”

 

“How does one go from being a thief to reconstructing Jagers?” She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

 

“The world is at war and there a very few volunteers willing to die for a lost cause.”

 

“But you are?”

 

“I don’t have much to live for.”

 

Sara wanted to comment, but they had reached The Canary. Looking up at her was looking at a lost friend. 

 

“Something’s different about her.”

 

“Her core. She is the only Jager working on nuclear power. Means she’ll last longer should you have to take on more than one Kaiju again.”

 

“Is that standard issue now?”

 

“Nope. The Canary is officially one of a kind.”

 

“She always was.” Their eyes met. Sara felt that spark again, from when she was sixteen. “Why aren’t you on my list, Leonard?” She all but whispered. 

 

“It’s complicated.”

 

“How?” 

 

Her question went unanswered. His eyes iced over, a signal that his walls where up. She knew that signal. It had been her own go to for the past five years anytime someone asked her about her life. He stepped away from, averting his eyes and breaking their connection. 

 

“You should get some sleep. You meet with the candidates first thing in the morning.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The staff made a satisfying thwack against the dummy. Sara hit it again, releasing her frustration. She had finished her “auditions” a few hours ago and not single one of Leonard’s candidates were at her level. Not even close. 

 

“You do know you can’t actually kill it, right?” Someone drawled from behind her. Leonard stood at the entrance of the training room. 

 

“What do you want?” *thwack*

 

“I came to apologize, actually. I’m reviewing your training video from earlier. I hadn’t realised my candidates would be so stiff in combat. Disappointing, they were the best we had.None of them thought on their feet. I don’t think any of them even landed a single blow on you.”

 

“They didn’t.”*thwack* “Why do they call you Captain Cold?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“One of the guys I was training with-” *thwack* “-mentioned it. Said he was surprised to us so “chummy” the other day.”

 

“Speaking of yesterday, how did you know I was a thief before this?” She rolled her eyes at his avoidance tactic. 

 

“You or Ray must have mentioned it. “ She muttered out the lie. She could avoid things too. 

 

“Unlikely. I never talk about my past and while Raymond may be an idiot, he’s not that stupid.”

 

“My father used to be a cop in Star City. I was at the precinct the day you were arrested.” She sighed and stopped hitting the dummy.

 

“I don’t remember meeting you.”

 

“We didn’t. Not really. We shared a moment.”

 

“A moment.” He echoed, his tone disbelieving. 

 

“Well sixteen year old me felt a moment.” She tossed him the staff and picked a second one up for herself. He caught it easily. 

 

‘What’s this for?”

 

“The candidates you picked weren’t the best. You are. I’ve seen your stats in the simulation. 52 drops, 52 kills. I know you’ve been through the training, Cisco showed me your file.”

 

“Sara-”

 

“I’ve a really bad day, Leonard. You are the only person in this place who hasn’t treated me like some kind of god or delicate flower. You also haven’t spread rumors saying that Laurel died because she saw that I slept with Ollie through the drift or some bullshit like that. So please, make my day. Fight me.” 

 

He obeyed, out of annoyance or kindness she didn’t know-or care. He walked to the edge of the mat, taking off his boots and socks before joining her. They bowed to one another, each moving into their comfortable fighting stances. They began. 

 

Their staffs collided with each other for a few minutes, blocking one another’s blows until Sara got the slip on him. Her staff stopped right by his left ear. 

 

“One-zero.” She said. 

 

They started again. This time, Leonard got the drop on her, his staff stopping short of her thigh. 

 

“One-one.” he mimicked. 

 

This went on for a few more minutes, each landing a blow until they were tied. Her final blow ended with Leonard on his back, panting, with Sara straddling his waist, the end of her staff a mere inch from his forehead. 

 

“Five-five.” she panted out. 

 

She moved the staff to the right side of his head, leaning on it for support but not moving off him. She stared into the eyes that had haunted her dreams all those years ago. She hoped she was gazing as intently at him as he always seemed to do her.

 

He reached up, brushing some hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail out of her face.

 

“You had bangs.”

 

“What?”

 

“That day in Star City. When I was arrested. You had bangs.” 

 

He remembered her. 

 

“Why do they call you Captain Cold?” She asked again. She had him, broken through the ice he had put up before, and she was taking full advantage. 

 

He sighed but didn’t breakaway. 

 

“I wanted to be a pilot. I trained, I had a Jager designed, even had my eye on a potential co-captain. But she died before anything happened.”

 

“Kaiju attack?”

 

He nodded. 

 

“Who was she?”

 

“My sister. Lisa. After her death I tried to Drift with others. I got close, once, with Mick, but he-he’s not able to pilot anymore. Countless times, countless pilots, nothing worked. I gave up. Focused on the strategy of it, the mechanics. They called me Captain Cold because I am incapable of drifting with anyone.” 

 

A cough ruined their moment. Sara climbed of Leonard, helping him up as well. 

 

Mick and Ray stood at the entrance of the room. 

 

“Sara!” Ray exclaimed, walking towards her. Mick made his way to Leonard, a knowing look on his face. Sara could tell by the way they interacted they had history. 

 

“Any luck finding a co-pilot? We need to test The Canary before sending her into the field.” Ray asked. 

 

Sara nodded, smirking. She pointed at Leonard. 

“I pick him.”


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are graphics descriptions of violence in this chapter-a major character death and a beloved character being eaten. You have been warned.

“Captain Cold? Are you joking?” Sara didn’t appreciate Carter Hall’s tone. She was sitting in the dining hall with the other pilots. After her announcement in the training room, Leonard hadn’t said anything, just grabbed his shoes and left.. She had then been dragged to the dining hall by Thea, handed a plate of food and shoved down in between the youngest Queen and a man she learned was Barry Allen. 

 

“He’s the best.” She said simply. 

 

“If he were the best he would have been able to Drift with someone and gone on missions by now.” Carter said. “But you’ll find out tomorrow when you test your drift compatibility and realise what everyone else knows.” He got up, Kendra following dutifully, and added: “You send him into the field and you’ll both die.” He and Kendra left, Kendra offering a sympathetic smile.Sara glared after them. 

 

“He didn’t technically say no.” Sara said, looking to Thea for help. She merely shrugged, offering nothing more than an encouraging smile. 

 

“I think he’ll say yes.” Barry said. “He wants this more than anything. He puts up a front, but when I melded with him I could feel it.”

 

“You were able to Drift with him?”

 

“Not fully. We tried before we found Wally. It didn’t hold, and both Snart and I wound up in a month long coma.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“I’m not really sure. I saw him in a memory, holding someone-and bam! This mental wall went up. It was so powerful I was thrown out of the Drift. The only person he’s had a successful Drift with is Mick.”

 

“Then why don’t they pilot a Jager together?” Sara’s question caused an uncomfortable silence to fall upon their little group. Thea was the one to finally break it, her voice quiet and sad. 

 

“Sara...Mick is dying.”

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The next morning Sara donned her upgraded flight gear and waited in the Canary for her new co-pilot. She hadn’t heard from Leonard or Mick and Ray had told her it was unlikely he’d say yes. From what he knew, they would be sending up one of the candidates from the other day and she would “just have to deal”. They were running out of time. 

 

She sighed when she heard footsteps approaching. She moved the right side of the Canary’s controls. She might have to just deal with whoever they sent, but like hell if they were taking Laurel’s spot. 

 

“I’m taking the right.” She said in lieu of greeting. Her tone was icy and dismissive. She wasn’t excited about letting a stranger into her head, especially when it was someone she didn’t feel a connection with. 

 

“And they call me Cold.” Her new co-pilot drawled. She nearly dropped her helmet as she spun around. Leonard was leaning against the second set of controls, smirking in a way that made her heart beat just a little faster. 

 

“I almost thought you’d say no. Send one of those stiff idiots instead.” Five years ago she would have stopped the grin from spreading across her face, tried to be a little cool, a little mysterious, but he was going to be in her head in a few minutes. There wasn’t a point in hiding. 

 

“I almost did.” He moved into position and so did she, letting the controls connect to their suits. He turned to her before donning his helmet. “Sara, don’t be disappointed if this doesn’t work. We have a backup ready-”

 

“It will work.” She assured him, cutting off whatever he was about to say. “Just stay cool, and don’t chase the R.A.B.I.T. That’s the Random-”

 

“- Brain Access Triggers. I know. You don’t break, I won’t break. Deal?”

 

“Deal.” They shared one last look before donning their helmets and initiating the neural handshake. 

 

They were automatically pulled into each other. Flashes of each other’s lives flew through their minds- Sara getting her first bike, a young Leonard holding a baby girl, Sara’s first kiss, the first time Leonard's father hit him, Sara and Laurel being recruited, Leonard meeting Mick for the first time, the first time they both saw each other-suddenly Sara could feel the wind. She could taste the salt in the air, hear the Kaiju’s roar. A voice to her left called to her-it was Leonard, warning her-but a shout to her right caught her attention. 

 

Laurel was there, shouting at her, right before the Kaiju’s claw tore through her stomach. Three screams of pain pierced into the air. One of them was male, too deep to be Sara or her sister. 

 

Leonard. 

 

Sara pulled herself out from the memory. She was back in The Canary, Cisco’s voice shouting into her earpiece, Leonard to her left. She was back. They were ok. 

 

“Sara! Sara!” Cisco shouted. “Sara! It’s Cold, he’s chasing! Pull him back!” 

Sara shouted to Leonard, but it fell on deaf ears. She could glimpse his face through the helmet. His eyes were glazed over. No doubt similar to how she looked just a few seconds ago. She reached for his arm- sometimes physical contact could pull a person back-but it was too late. She felt his reality slip away. She saw the snow start falling inside the Canary, felt the chill in the air despite her suit. They were lost to the memory. 

 

She knew as she watched the Jager fall away to a snow covered street that there was only one to get him back. She had to follow. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

As the memory grew stronger, Leonard grew younger. Her Leonard was replaced with one about a decade younger, with jet black hair and fewer lines. Gone was his flight suit. He was donned in black pants and turtleneck. A giant blue parka completed his outfit. They were running through Central City. Snow was everywhere, darkened by the ash that was falling from the sky. A Kaiju roared somewhere in the distance. The City had been completely destroyed.

 

“Lisa!” Young Leonard shouted, running through the streets, looking into broken buildings and overturned cars. 

 

“Lenny!” A young woman bounded around the next street. She headed towards them. A trail of blood was behind her. Sara noted it came from a wound on her side that was causing her to limp their way. 

 

Leonard made a moved to her when an earth shaking roar cause him to stop. Following behind Lisa in all it’s terrifying glory, was a Kaiju. It’s head was pointed and sharp, like a knife. It opened its mouth. A long glowing blue tongue shot out encircling Lisa. Before Leonard could even blink, the monster grabbed Lisa, pulling her into it’s mouth. Leonard's shout of agony became Sara’s. The stomach churning that followed the crunch the monster’s teeth made against her bones caused them both to physically vomit. Sara couldn’t tell if the tears on her face were her own, or his from the past. 

 

Young Leonard fell to his knees. They couldn’t move. Terror and grief overwhelmed them. The Kaiju stalked towards him. If Sara didn’t know any better she would say the thing was laughing. 

 

Before the Kaiju reached them, a burst of flame shot out from behind it, setting the thing on fire. A rain of bullets followed, ripping through the monster, tearing it apart like it had this city. The thing fell down dead, one claw landing inches from Leonard. 

 

Sara lifted her head, staring at the Jager that had taken it down. It was massive, from the Mach-1 days. She could read it’s name-Chronos-painted in big bold letters on the side. This was the only Jager to be successfully piloted by a single mind until it had proved too much for the pilot and he had to retire. The hatch on the top opened, and a hulking figure parachuted down from the Jager. He made his way to them, not caring that we was running through a Kaiju carcass. As he got closer, Sara began to recognize him. 

 

It was none other than Mick Rory. He fell to his knees when he reached Leonard. Leonard was a mess. He was silently crying, his body shaking in a way that had nothing to do with the cold. Mick reached out, pulled him against his chest, and held on. 

 

Sara was ripped back into reality. The controls detached themselves. She could hear shouting and sirens. She couldn’t feel Leonard anymore. Fearing the worst, she pulled off her helmet. The Drift had been forcibly stopped. Leonard was the floor, controls detached, shaking uncontrollably. She ran to him. She pulled him onto her lap, cradling his head against her chest. It seemed to work. He calmed down enough to speak. 

“I’m sorry.” He muttered before passing out in her arms.


	4. Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's some guilt, some frustration, and Cisco has a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely Jael for being my beta!

The first sensations he felt upon waking were calloused fingers rubbing small circles into his head. He let out a hum of contentment before blinking his eyes open. His head was cushioned on someone’s lap. His ear was pressed up against the person’s stomach. He could feel the rumble of laughter start there, low and full. 

“Good morning.” Sara’s voice floated down to him. He opened his eyes. They were sitting on the walkway facing the Canary. She was staring down at him, her eyes sparkling with a smile. He smiled softly back at her until the memory of what happened came back to him. He rose off her lap. He was ashamed. He had spent years preparing for this. He needed to avenge Lisa. He needed to ensure that no one else went through that. He had wanted to help Sara and failed. They almost died--everything was almost destroyed and it was his-

“It’s not your fault.” 

He looked back over to her, not bothering to hide the guilt he felt. There was no point. Once you drift with someone, they know you better than you know yourself. He wouldn’t be able to hide anything from her now. 

“We had a deal, remember? I went first. I pulled you in. If we are playing the guilt game, I’m the winner here,” Sara continued, walking closer to the railing. “People get all excited to be chosen to pilot a Jaeger. You get to be a hero, save the world. People will worship you. It’s probably the closest humans will ever get to being gods. They don’t think about the pain, the fear...the agony that comes with surviving.”

“I didn’t train to be a pilot for the heroism,” he murmured. Despite her attempts at comfort, he couldn’t bring himself to look at her. 

“I know. I was in your head remember? You were recruited shortly after the first Kaiju attack. You had the ability to Drift, but you were serving a ten-year prison sentence. So they offered you a choice: become a pilot and win your freedom, or stay.”

“They wanted to throw me back in after Lisa. Mick vouched for me. Having the only man to pilot a Jaeger solo have your back held a lot of weight back then.” 

Silence weighed heavy between them after that. Leonard sat, his back to The Canary, to Sara, while she stood staring at their Jager. 

“I’m not going to find another co-pilot. We work, Leonard.” With that, she left.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Caitlin was furious. Wells, her partner, had just shot down one of her more brilliant ideas. Cisco--a friend of hers for many years now--was sitting by, dutifully hearing out her rant. He would interrupt her for a bit now and then, making sure he was getting all the details, but mostly nodded along in agreement. 

“So this plan--” Cisco started, recapping the scientist's rant, “--is to Drift with that chunk of Kaiju brain-” he pointed behind himself, indicating said brain, “--and see if they have an attack plan?”

“Well, the idea first came to me when Sara and her sister were attacked. The Kaiju that attacked The Canary were smart and organized. They had a strategy,” Caitlin responded while fiddling with the Drift helmet Cisco had brought for her. “Dr. Wells thinks it’s too risky, especially for someone who doesn’t have the experience.”

“He makes a good point. You don’t have the experience.” She let out an offended scoff. “But I do.” 

“It’s too dangerous--”

“Better me than you. Besides, I’ve been around Jagers my entire life, and I was almost Barry’s co-pilot when Cold didn’t work out and before Wally was even a thing.”

Caitlin couldn’t argue further. He did have the experience, more so than she did. Also, with Cisco going into the Drift, she could record everything he experienced. She handed him the helmet and turned on the machine. 

“It’s already hooked up to the Kaiju brain. I’ll do the countdown. Get ready, Cisco.”

He took the helmet, mock-saluted her, and put it on. 

“Allons-y.” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale.

He couldn’t breath. He was being pulled in different directions. Flashes of large bodies and bright colors clouded his senses. Snippets of people yelling -

“I told it was dangerous!”

“He volunteered!”

“He could die!”

“Cisco! Cisco? Come back!”

-but they didn’t matter. He had succeeded. He had made Caitlin’s dream come true. The flashes, the bright colors and bodies, were Kaiju. There was something...methodic to the creature's movements. Like they were organized. Like they were planning a strategy. 

A thunderous screech jerked his attention away from the mass army of Kaiju, but he couldn’t find the course. He turned back to the scene in front of him and froze. They were looking at him. Every single Kaiju was turned toward him, their eyes locked on him, their teeth bared. 

They saw him. 

Cisco screamed. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How is he?” 

Sara startled at Leonard’s voice. She had been sitting vigil at Cisco’s bedside. He had been out cold since his attempt to drift with a Kaiju. She couldn’t wait for her friend to wake up so she kick his ass for being so stupid. 

“He’ll be ok, according to Caitlin,” she sighed while stretching her arms above her head. Sitting in those tiny plastic chairs was a form of a hell. He nodded and moved into the room to stand next to her. “Caitlin looked like shit. I get it though. Watching someone go through something like that for you...I can’t imagine what it’s doing to her soul. And all this for what?”

“For this,” Leonard said softly while handing her a piece paper. 

“What is this?”

“Coordinates for the breach. Cisco wrote it down before he passed out.”

“This means..”  
“We might actually win.” 

She let a small laugh of relief, feeling hope for the first time in years. The moment was short lived, however, when the Kaiju alarm blared, a frantic voice shouting over the intercom about a three Kaiju breech. Sara turned to the man next to her, placing both hands on his face and forcing him to meet her eyes. 

“They can win. But not without me, and I can’t do this without you. What do you say, Captain Cold?”

He placed both of his hands on hers, lowering them to his chest and holding them against his chest. 

“Let’s ice these monsters.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were suited up and heading for the Canary, passing by the other pilots, each pair trying to calm their frantic hearts. Everyone had been called to the battle front. The plan, as far as they knew, was for The Scarlet Speedster, The Hawk, and The Green Arrow to guard the coastline, attacking the Kaiju one on one and protecting the city. Firestorm would carry a nuclear bomb and through into the breach, effectively shutting down the breach for good while Canary watched their back. 

It was a solid plan. Unfortunately there was a small hitch. 

“I can’t pilot the Jaeger myself. Someone else is gonna have to carry the bomb,” Jax was saying to Raymond as Leonard and Sara walked up. “The last fight was too much on Grey’s heart. He’s in no condition to go out again. He won’t make it.”

“That’s ok. Let the Professor rest. We have a solution,” Raymond replied, his cheerfulness fully intact. 

“Who? Who are you gonna get last minute that’s capable of drifting with me?”

“Him,” the billionaire pointed to the doors of the Jager holding room, where a suited up Mick walked was standing. He walked over to the group, a powerful force that made everyone pause to watch him. 

“How the hell is this gonna work?” Jax asked again, more out of fear than anything else. “If this goes wrong-”

“Calm down, kid. It’ll be fine. I don’t bring anything in with me to the drift. No fear, no memories, nothing. And if it doesn’t work, then we are all gonna die anyway,” Mick said, smirking at the young man. He headed for Firestorm, Leonard following at his heels. 

“You go in there, you die. Your body can’t handle the pressure anymore,” he said, imploringly.

“I’m already dying. Like I said, we are all gonna die if I don’t. Besides, out of all the idiots here, I’m the one with the most experience,” he said gruffly, grabbing his helmet from the table near Firestorm and facing his friend. “You didn’t get into this to be a hero. But you gotta know-”

“Don’t. We don’t do feelings, Mick, we never have,” Leonard tried to stop him. They didn’t do emotions, not them, and if Mick of all people was getting sappy on him now, he wasn't sure he;d be able to drift. 

“-you gotta know, you’ve always been a hero to me. Ever since you broke me out of juvie.”

“I only broke you out because you saved me that first day.”

“Yeah, well, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.” 

A cough from behind interrupted them. Both men jumped, shaking of any left over emotions that have been feeling. They slid their respective masks back on and turned their attention to Raymond. 

“Mick, I think they are waiting for a speech,” he informed them, pointing at the crowd that had gathered around. 

“You give it. You’re the reason any of this shit is still here.”

“I might pay for everything, but I’m no leader. I’m not the one who inspired everyone to be here.”

Mick groaned, but addressed the crowd anyway. 

“Let’s light these fuckers up,” he roared. Cheers erupted and people clapped, all scattering and scurrying to their respective stations. 

“Well, I’m certainly inspired,” Leonard quipped. Mick just growled in his direction, their dynamic sliding back to the way it should be. They gave each other one final glance before heading to their Jagers. 

Sara was in the head of the Canary waiting for him. She looked beautiful in her suit, fierce and ready for battle. He had never been so in awe of anyone before. 

“I’ve never really thought about the future before,” he started, pulling on his helmet and getting into position. “I didn’t think I had one to think about.”

Sara looked at him, eyes boring right through her helmet and into him, bright and curious and just a hint of a tease in them. 

“Until now,” he continued, meeting her gaze with the same level of intensity. “Now I can’t help but think what it could hold after all this is over. For you...for me….for you and me.” 

She was full on grinning at him now. 

“That’s a conversation we should have when we finish this,” she said. They connected to their Jager and got ready for battle. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were losing. It hadn’t been three Kaijus that swarmed their way through the breech but six. There was a one on two battle going on above. Sara sent out a silent prayer to whatever was listening that her friends would make it. She didn’t waste too much time on it though, they had their own battle to fight. 

“Almost there!” Jax’s voice crackled through their speakers. They had made it to the breech bruised and battered, each of them taking on a Kaiju on the way down. “We just need to throw the bomb in and we are done!”

“Don’t get cocky, kid. It’s not over till it’s over,” Mick replied. 

“And it’s not over yet. The plan isn’t going to work!” A new voice yelled into their headsets. 

“Cisco?” Sara asked. 

“Yeah, it’s me, I woke up and all your dreams can come true. Here’s the thing, the bomb isn’t going to work if you just toss it in. There’s some sort of scanner at the opening, it only reads Kaiju DNA. If you toss the bomb in it’ll just bounce off.”

“What are you saying? This is all for nothing?”

“No! We can still get the bomb in...you just sort of have to ride a Kaiju into it.”

“That means Firestorm has to carry the bomb and a Kaiju into the breech.”

The four pilots and Cisco remained silent for a moment.

“Well,” Jax said, “I did always want to die heroically. Only problem, how are we gonna get a body?”

“You won’t have to wait long. We have a reading here, one is coming out of the breech any minute. It's huge, bigger than anything we have ever seen.”

“Bring it on.”

They didn’t have to wait long. A giant Kaiju crawled out of the ocean floor before them. Larger than any they had seen before. 

“We can take it if we work together!” Sara called out. True, the Canary had taken a lot of damage, but she was still standing. 

“No,” Mick barked at her from the other Jager. “If we all go down there won’t be anyone to take out the breech. The kid and I will handle this one.”

“But you have the bomb. If you stay how will we…” she trailed off, her drift with Leonard filling in the answer for her. A memory drifted between them, a shared one that held a lot of meaning for the both of them. 

“Her core. She is the only Jager working on nuclear power. Means she’ll last longer should you have to take on more than one Kaiju again.”

“We are a walking bomb.”

“They take that one out, we grab it and a jump in,” Leonard confirmed her suspicions. “There’s no way we’ll make it back.”

“Everything I want to live for is right here. Looks like we got a bit of a future afterall.” They both ignored the cries and screams of Firestorm seeping in through the headphones. 

“What’s war without a little self sacrifice?”

“I’m in if you’re in, deal?”

“Deal.” 

Sara flipped the core switch to full power. They maneuvered the Canary to step past their fallen friend, grabbed the carcass of the giant Kaiju, hauled it to the breach, and jumped in.


End file.
